


Full of Things That Never Were

by Banshi13



Series: Maluhia [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Minor Injuries, Past Relationship(s), Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banshi13/pseuds/Banshi13
Summary: Change is the only constant in life.That and death, and taxes.And life.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Maluhia [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760446
Comments: 42
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again and welcome back to Maluhia, now with more updates! Yum!
> 
> So, if you’ve read part 5/6 (whatever AO3 is calling it these days) of Maluhia entitled, _Whatever Road You Choose (I’m Right Behind You, Win or Lose)_ then you will know by the end of the first chapter what the purpose of this story is. 
> 
> I set the stage for this back in _A Life I Want to Start (Been Waiting to Live)_ , which if you have the time, you can read, but I don’t think you have to read it to understand, surface level at least, what happens in this story – exposition is a wonderful thing, and I use Danny very well (I think) to deliver it.
> 
> I promise, you can enjoy this story without the nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach as you read along – especially if you’re a McDanno fan 😊
> 
> The title is taken from _Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke_ , by poet Rainer Maria Rilke
> 
> _Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and the characters found within the series are owned by CBS Productions, K/O Paper Products, and 101st Street Productions. No profit is being made off of this work_.

**Hawaii Five-0**

Steve slowly and very carefully eased himself onto the cold wood floor of his living room, cell phone still clutched in his hand so tightly his knuckles were growing white. His face felt weird, his tongue, too.... too big to so much as swallow down the shock that was shooting through every extremity in his body and jolting his heart, working better than any AED ever could. His stomach, which was... cold? Nauseous? He didn't know. He didn't know much of anything right now, except that his life was absolutely, positively, _irrevocably_ going to change.

Change was a constant in life; Steve had learned that brutal truth at a too young age and had had to accept it and roll with all the punches life threw until he just couldn’t anymore, until the last punch missed him and hit the one person in the world that he loved with every fiber of his being, that he would lay his life down for without thinking. Leaving the island when he had, jetting off to take a ten-years-long overdue vacation, to ‘find a different perspective’ as Joe White had been so fond of saying, had been something he’d desperately needed after that. He never figured that what he did during his time away from the island would follow him back, though.

Steve managed to get his long legs into a cross-legged position and eventually allowed his hands to fall into his lap, a strangle-grip still on his phone as he stared blankly at the wall, his brain attempting to translate the words spoken by the person on the other end of the line just seconds - minutes? - ago.

And then, there was an insistent hand waving in front of his face. Annoyed, Steve snapped backwards a bit, blinking as Danny eventually came into focus, concern radiating from his entire being, from his perfectly side-shaved head down to his patent leather shoes, though Steve could tell Danny was trying to subdue it somewhat. 

"Babe? Why're you on the floor?" 

Steve opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Well, maybe a grunt of some kind, because Danny was asking if he could translate that and, no, Steve wasn't exactly sure that he could. Steve watched Danny lower himself to the floor in front of him, peering at Steve as though he were some kind of Rubik’s cube to solve.

"Steve, you're actually starting to worry me here, buddy," Danny crouched down and Steve blinked at him dumbly. "What happened? Is it Mary? Something happen with Joanie? What?"

Steve only shook his head, mind still in a fog. "No... Catherine."

"Okay, alright, what about Catherine? She okay?"

"Yeah, she's... she's fine," Steve swallowed. "She says she's okay."

"That's good, right? She's good, she's fine, she's what, she's living her best life-"

"She's pregnant."

Danny's brow lifted, and there was nothing to hear but the choppy waves of the pacific just out behind Steve’s house. "Oh...” Danny coughed, nearly rocking himself out of his crouch and onto his ass on the floor next to Steve. “Okay, so living her best two lives, I guess? I didn't know she was seeing anybody, that's good. Good for her."

"She's not seeing anyone," Steve finally managed to unglue the phone from his palms and dropped it in his lap, rubbing his face with his hands. The sound of his stubble scratched against his skin, echoing in the too quiet room. "She called me to tell me because it's mine."

"It's yours," Danny deadpanned. "What's yours?"

"The baby," Steve looked at him, terrified and happy and half-crazed with surprise and shock and disbelief. "It's mine."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knows better about surprise fatherhood statuses than Danny Williams?
> 
> _Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and the characters found within the series are owned by CBS Productions, K/O Paper Products, and 101st Street Productions. No profit is being made off of this work_.

**Hawaii Five-0**

"Okay, let's just... back up a second here, take some time to digest this," Danny eased himself all the way onto the floor, giving his knees a break and also himself an opportunity to let what Steve had just told him sink in. "The last time you saw her was what, late April, early May?"

Steve chewed his lip, nodding. Danny ticked off the months on his fingers and held 3 full fingers and a 'half' up.

"It's August, Steven; what the hell has she been doing?"

"...being pregnant?" Steve answered, dumbly, and really, Danny shouldn't have expected anything more intelligent at the moment from him, if the dazed expression on his partner's face was anything to go by. When Rachel had told Danny she was pregnant with Grace, Danny had needed a full weekend to stop walking on a cloud of absolute astonishment before he could form full sentences. Steve hadn't even had five minutes to take the news of his impending fatherhood in, so Danny could forgive him for his pre-verbal condition at the moment.

"Is she still in D.C.?"

"Yeah, but she's uh... she's flying here, she'll be here tomorrow," Steve scratched the back of his head, dragging his fingers through his hair and down his face. His hand fell in a heap on his leg. Danny watched him, knowing he looked calmer than he actually felt inside. Of all the times Steve and Catherine had slept together, it would figure that their final one-nightstand from a few months ago would result in a bundle of joy down the line.

Not that Danny didn’t want for Steve to be a father; Danny very much wanted that for him, knew how much Steve wanted it for himself, how Steve’d always thought that that door had been closed years ago, a direct result of the decisions he’d made for his life. Now that door was flung wide open again, with a bouncing baby boy or girl in waiting on the other side, and Danny knew that once Steve got over the shock that he would barrel through that door as if a perp was waiting to be booked. Steve would do whatever he needed to do to provide for that kid, the same as Danny did for Grace when he gave up everything and everyone he knew in New Jersey, his _home_ , when he first came to Hawaii ten years ago so that he could continue to be a father to his daughter. The same way Danny did for Charlie when Rachel told him the little blonde boy he’d seen picking up and dropping off Grace for three years was actually his, and oh, by the way, he’s sick with a potentially deadly disease and could your brand-new son that you just found out about five minutes ago please have some of your bone marrow to save his life?

Danny knew Steve would’ve done the exact same thing in both those situations, would move heaven and Earth for his offspring. He’d been deprived of that idea of family for so long, thought it was never attainable, that what he’d experienced in his forty-four years or so had simply made the opportunity to have the wife and kids moot. And now, here came Catherine with the news that she was pregnant, and along with her, a 20-year history that she had with Steve, a man she’d slept with off and on for years, dated, loved at least at one time, and whom Steve was going to ask to marry him a few years ago…

Danny cleared his throat, shoving the image in his head aside and forcing himself to focus on Steve right now, not his own burgeoning fears of where this all might lead. “Look, uh, babe, this is good news, yeah? You’re gonna be a dad, have a kid of your own, experience fatherhood – that’s all great, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, Danny it’s… I mean, I’m…”

“Excited?”

“Yes,” Steve nodded, rubbing his hands over his face, “I’m excited and happy and absolutely shit-scared.”

“That’s okay,” Danny shrugged, feeling his face slide into something comforting, reassuring on the outside. “That’s all normal. It’s a big change, Steve, having a kid of your own. Everything you think you know goes out the window, you know?”

“Yeah,” Danny was glad to see that Steve was starting to relax, his shoulders climbing down from practically being attached to his ear lobes, and his chest was expanding again, indicating that Steve’s lungs were insisting on a regular breathing pattern in order to maintain other vital bodily functions. “I gotta say, I’m also a little pissed at her for just now telling me.”

“Well, maybe she just found out, you know?” Danny offered, for no reason that he could discern at the moment. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Catherine – he did. Danny had always had a certain level of affection for her because of who she’d been at one time to Steve, who she’d been and could’ve been in his life. But he also knew Catherine, knew how secretive she could be, especially when it came to keeping things from Steve that he ought to know. She and Rachel were remarkably similar in that regard, come to think of it. But, still, Danny tried. “Sometimes, some women find out three months in-“

“She’s an active CIA field operative, Danny. She’s on birth control.”

“Uh huh,” Danny scratched the side his neck, his fingers scraping against the touch of rough stubble the tips found. “I’m guessing you thought she was covered when you two were in D.C.?”

“She said she was good to go,” Steve’s shoulders now slumped, more from the drop of adrenaline than anything else.

“Well, you said she was flying in tomorrow. You can ask her then, right?” Danny stood up and offered a hand for Steve to do the same. They were grown ass old men who could only sit on a hard, unforgiving floor for so long after all. Steve got to his feet and Danny took a long look at him. Yep; still blown-out-of-his-mind surprised. That look would last a week or two, at the very least. Steve needed Danny right now, needed him here and present and thinking about getting Steve ready for the insane changes he was going to be welcoming in six months, not worrying about what those changes might mean for _them_.

“C’mon,” Danny turned Steve towards the kitchen, pushing him forward gently. “I’ll get lunch together and tell you all about the first time Gracie puked on me. You’re in for a lot of that. May as well give you some pointers for the best detergent to use.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And who can give better First-Time-Daddy pointers than Danno?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Catherine
> 
>  _Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and the characters found within the series are owned by CBS Productions, K/O Paper Products, and 101st Street Productions. No profit is being made off of this work_.

Steve supposed that he could’ve been in arrivals at Honolulu International at a worse time of the year, like December, when everyone on the mainland who lived north of the Mason-Dixon line fled to the warm, sandy beaches of Hawaii to avoid the frigid temperatures and blizzards of northern mainland winters. Danny seemed to be the only person who actually missed the snow and ice and sub-zero wind chills, but Steve had figured out long ago that his Danno was an enigma who, in some ways, was simply never meant to be deciphered. 

He looked again at the arrivals board, at the plane which had arrived a few minutes ago that was now marked as disembarking. Steve found himself swallowing his nerves again for the umpteenth time since he’d woken up that morning. Danny had asked him a few times if Steve was sure he wanted to meet Catherine at the airport by himself, and each time Steve had said yes, of course, why not? Now he was wishing he’d taken Danny up on his non-subtle offer to tag along. Steve had never been one to wait on anything but waiting on Catherine to appear was as severe as any test of his patience to date.

When he finally saw her, the thing that struck him the most was that she didn’t look all that different from the last time he’d seen her earlier in the year. His eyes zeroed in on her stomach, expecting some kind of noticeable bump, but Catherine had traded in her standard, form fitting tops for a loser shirt which helped obscure her belly somewhat. She was still wearing jeans though, and wasn’t that weird? Wasn’t that constricting the baby? What if she was wearing her usual low-rise Levi’s – they sat below the belly button, right? That couldn’t be comfortable for the kid-

“Hey.”

“You’re wearing jeans,” Steve dumbly spat in a turrets ridden greeting. Catherine arched a brow and looked down at herself, as if to confirm. “Good eye, sailor.”

“I mean…” Steve helplessly flapped a hand at Catherine’s stomach before dropping it at his side in a confused kind of surrender that he knew made no sense whatsoever and that Catherine seemed almost amused by. “Hi,” he uttered, noticing the over night bag on her shoulder. “You want me to take that?” 

Cath grinned, shaking her head. “No. It’s not that heavy, I’m alright.”

“You sure?” Steve lifted a hand, looking to take the bag anyway, reaching for it. “It’s fine, I can-“

“Steve,” Cath put a gentle hand on his chest, a barrier to Steve and his hand and his offer. “You’re doing a very good impression of Danny when he’s in his mother hen mood, but really, I’m fine. I’m pregnant, not an invalid.” 

She was kind and firm and absolutely one hundred percent steady in her resolve to carry her own luggage, so Steve dropped his hand again, sagely defeated. “Yeah, sorry,” he muttered.

“S’alright,” She nodded her head, understanding. “So, we ready to go?”

Steve nodded and led her through the airport, completely refusing to admit that instead of just walking with an old friend that he was actually taking point and looking at everyone they passed as a potential threat, just as he used to do when he was an active SEAL and in a combat zone or serving as an escort. By the time they reached the truck and Steve opened the door for her, he saw that his little bodyguard routine hadn’t gone unnoticed by Catherine either. She only smirked and hopped in, settling herself as Steve made his way to the other side.

The drive out of the airport proper was quiet up until Steve made the turn and hopped on the entrance ramp for the H1. Steve kept his eyes on the road, at least when he wasn’t casting furtive glances Catherine’s way. “So, uh, where are you staying?”

“The Hilton,” Cath swiveled her head his way, flashing him a smile. “I figured why not; central location, great pool, room service whenever I want...”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s… yes, very logical, very sound,” Steve cleared his throat. “So, am I just dropping you off, or…?”

“I thought we could grab something to eat, catch up, talk a little bit about… well,” Catherine let a hand slide onto her stomach, and Steve found himself humming in agreement. He wasn’t sure if he could eat right now, but maybe some of his questions would be easier asked and better answered on a full stomach. 

He pulled into the Hilton’s parking lot and snagged a parking spot close to the restaurant’s entrance, ignoring the put upon eyeroll from Catherine that he caught out of the corner of his eye. Tropics was always good for a meal no matter the time of day. They were shown to a table and left with menus to peruse. Steve found himself eyeing Catherine more than the options listed in expensive, leather backed trifold in front of him, but Cath appeared to be as invested in her selection for lunch as she was back in their Navy days together. Steve nearly choked as she ordered a ten-ounce burger, adding bacon and substituting the fries for a serving of onion rings. 

“What?” Catherine looked at him after the server had taken their orders and left them with their drinks. 

“I just… you know, you usually don’t – you usually get a salad or something,” Steve stuttered out. “I’ve known you for twenty years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat an onion ring once.”

Catherine laughed, taking it all in stride as if his reaction was exactly what she’d been expecting. And she knew him well enough, so she probably had been. “You’d be surprised at some of the cravings I’ve had. I woke up a few weeks ago at two o’clock in the morning wanting nothing but grape jelly; I wound up slathering four or five pieces of bread with it before I went back to sleep.”

“That’s… really not at all appetizing,” Steve scrunched his nose, just barely managing to keep the disgust off his face. “That’s… no.”

“That’s pregnancy,” she shrugged back at him, leaning forward and taking a long sip of her water before easing back and folding her hands on her belly. “So.”

The awkwardness was back. Steve found himself looking at the tabletop, playing the tip of a finger along its grated surface before reaching for his beer and taking a long pull from the Longboard, trying to buy himself some breathing room. There were so many questions chasing themselves through his mind; he honestly didn’t know where to start.

“Guess I’ll start, then.” Cath murmured softly and straightened up, like she was about to deliver a debrief; Steve hated that she felt she had to be like that with him, after everything they’d been through together. “Obviously, I skipped a cycle after you left D.C. I’d switched to a new birth control before you showed up. I was a few days in on the new prescription when you came over that night. When I skipped the period and it still didn’t show up after a week, I bought a pregnancy test and took it; it was positive, obviously.” She huffed a soft laughter. “My doctor confirmed it a few days later. I went straight from the old prescription to the new one so there shouldn’t have been any problem, but my doctor told me that it can take the body a week, sometimes even a month to acclimate to a new contraceptive.” She lifted her shoulders in something that wasn’t quite a shrug. “And here we are.”

Steve found himself nodding slowly along as she unraveled the story. It made sense; the only contraception he’d ever had to worry about was condemns. Taking pills or securing patches or anything more invasive other than a vasectomy was something men just didn’t have to deal with. But there was one question that had finally made its way to the front of the pack racing through his mind.

“Why didn’t you just call me and tell me when you found out?” He looked at her, studying her. “I – Cath, I know I wasn’t exactly myself a few months ago, but I still would’ve wanted to know.”

“I didn’t tell you because I was actually advised not to,” she answered softly, and Steve felt his forehead crunch together, confusion running along every worry line that had been created over a twenty plus year of covert ops and high crime busting shenanigans. 

“You were what?” He asked, incredulous.

“Obviously as soon as I got the results, I stopped taking the birth control, but I’d been on it for a few weeks before that; I had no way of knowing if taking it while I was pregnant would… would cause a problem,” she said, delicately. “And, a lot of doctors tell women not to say anything or tell too many people when they’re still in the first trimester.”

Steve blinked at that. “Why?”

“Because that’s when most miscarriages happen,” Catherine bit her lip. “I didn’t want to tell you and then lose it. I didn’t… if I lost it, I know how much that would’ve hurt you. I didn’t want you to have to go through that, especially not with everything else you were dealing with at the time… and everything else you’ve lost.”

Steve felt himself deflate a little at that. He understood; she hadn’t wanted to hurt him needlessly. But that had been their relationship all over for the last few years, hadn’t it? “Alright, I get that.” He shifted in his seat, choosing his next words carefully. “But I still would’ve wanted to know. You think I would’ve wanted you to deal with something like that on your own, if you’d lost the baby? You’re right, if you’d miscarried, I’d… shit, Catherine,” Steve swallowed, “you’re right, it would’ve hurt, a lot, but also, I’d be worried about you. And that’s for me to deal with, Cath. You can’t protect me by not telling me things I need to know, and this? I needed to know this, as soon as you found out, I’d’ve wanted to know, no matter what. And for something like this, I would’ve made sure that you were alright, too. We’re still friends after everything, you know?”

Catherine was nodding her head slowly, and Steve could see that what he was saying was getting through. “So, um… I guess this means you’re out of the first trimester now?” He’d barely seen the hint of a belly, but that was more than likely due to the over-sized shirt she was wearing.

“Yeah,” her smile was as soft as the gentle slip of her hand against her stomach, and Steve hadn’t missed just how often she’d done that since he’d picked her up from the airport. “Fourteen weeks. We think… well,” she tilted her head, “we won’t be able to confirm the sex for at least another month, but do you want to know what we think –“

“Yeah, yes,” Steve answered, his heart rate quickening, palms becoming slightly damp at the idea. A boy to raise and play football with, teach to fight, watch become a man? A little girl to…well, play football with, teach to fight – teach to _kill_ , honestly, with the way some men behaved if Steve was honest; his little girl’s first gift might just be an Ontario MK III blade if he had anything to say about it –

“Steve?”

“Yeah, sorry,” he blinked, refocusing his attention back on a thoroughly bemused Catherine, and a server who was setting down her burger along with his usual order of surf and turf. “What’re we having?”

“Well, I am having this very delicious looking bacon cheeseburger, as you can see here, and as you heard me order a while ago.” Her hands mimed a perfectly sarcastic imitation of Vanna White.

Steve huffed a quiet laugh, rolling his eyes. Catherine was grinning at her joke, a bit of humor found in a literal reading of her words, and Steve watched with the same amount of patience as Eddie had when he was waiting for his dinner as Catherine picked up her cheeseburger and took a bite, chewed. Swallowed. Sipped her water. She was waiting him out, waiting for him to crack. It had been a game between them, early on, when she’d used to poke fun at his complete inability to sit still or wait for anything. She used to say she’d train the impatience out of him one day. So far, that had yet to happen.

“Catherine,” Steve groaned, pleading.

“A boy,” she leaned back, smiling softly. “At least, that’s what the doctor thought when he looked at the sonogram. I um,” she reached for her purse, “I have a picture of it, if you want…” She dug into her wallet and found a small photograph, handing it over the table to Steve, who took it as gingerly and carefully as if the photo were the actual baby himself. What he saw was a swirl of greys, whites, and blacks, but there – the definitive shape of a head, and what looked like an arm… kind of? A long appendage further down which Steve supposed to be a leg, and he was fairly sure he saw a nose, maybe. Possibly. He studied the photograph more intensely than he had any intelligence when he’d been in the Navy, dragging the tip of his finger along the lines that made up the little life growing in the woman sitting across from him.

He was going to be a father, he was going to have a child of his own, something he’d long thought was out of his reach. He looked up at her, a thought weaving its way through his mind.

“Are you…” Steve blanched as Catherine practically inhaled her food, doing a remarkable impression of a vacuum cleaner on one of those three in the morning infomercials, and realized he’d just barely touched his own plate. She blinked at him from behind a half-eaten burger, eyes wide and questioning. 

“Steve?”

“I mean, you’re like… aren’t you a little…” Steve waved a hand in her general direction, trying to find a word to use other than the most obvious one bouncing about in his head. He liked his hands, and certain other parts of his body, right where they were, thank you. “Uh, doesn’t your age carry a certain risk?” He finally managed. 

She quirked a brow at him. “You’re seriously calling me old?”

“I am not, no, I am not calling you old,” Steve defended himself (and hastily dropped his previously waving hand into his lap), “definitely not calling you old.”

“Good, because I’m younger than you by at least three years.”

“Still, though,” he stopped and wrinkled his nose, watching as she casually dipped her onion rings in – “is that mayonnaise?”

“Yes?”

“Catherine, what the hell?”

“It’s good!”

Steve was sure that she scooped a larger dip of the white stuff onto a ring just to gross him out; it worked. He felt his stomach lurch. 

“They dip fries in mayonnaise in Germany all the time,” she continued.

“ _We’re not in Germany_!” Steve whisper yelled, his eyes disgruntledly following the journey of the crispy fried onion down to the ramekin hosting the mayo, it being slathered generously, and then brought up and popped into Catherine’s mouth, and felt his stomach turn again; this was just _wrong_ , on every level. His Irish American blood was raging in his veins at the slight befalling a perfectly prepared onion ring. But primarily, his concern was the nutritional value – or lack thereof – of her chosen meal. “And those aren’t fries. That’s… Cath, I get you have cravings and everything but you’re going to be a high-risk pregnancy; do you really think eating all that fat is good for you, huh? Good for the baby?”

“You are adorable when you’re in over-protective father mode.” But Catherine did drop the third onion ring back onto her plate, in a kind of passive aggressive deference to Steve’s dietary preferences that indicated he should tread carefully from this point forward. “Danny’s definitely been rubbing off on you.”

The mention of Danny (and whether he may or may not be rubbing off on Steve – which he was not, not yet at least) was so sudden and unexpected that it threw Steve off his game, enough to make his face contort from disgusted (by the mayonnaise dipping), to shocked, to Danny’s favorite, the patented Aneurysm Face ™. He finally forced his features to something mimicking ‘Whatever do you mean?’, and set the sonogram photo by his plate, picking up a knife and fork and sawing into his now decidedly lukewarm sirloin. The table was quiet for a minute, only the sound of a blade massacring its way into the unfortunate beef entrée and occasionally screeching against the plate filling the space between Steve and Catherine until the latter put down her nearly finished burger and settled calculating eyes usually used on tangos in the field on the man studiously avoiding her gaze.

“Steve.”

No answer.

“ _Steve_.”

“Hm."

“Did something happen to Danny?”

Steve cleared his throat. Boy, did it ever. “Um, n-no, not – well, yeah, kind of. Not so much as uh… _to_ , Danny as um… as _with_.”

Steve went for the lobster with fervor while Cath deciphered that code in her head. Proving she’d been one of Navy Intel’s top decryptors, she cracked his odd and cryptic response in less than a few seconds.

“Oh my God.”

Steve didn’t look at her, but he didn’t have to; a reddish hue was creeping up his neck and wrapping its way about his cheeks, and if that wasn’t clue enough, the deeply focused way Steve was concentrating on getting the lobster meat out of its shell, as if he were disarming a bomb, provided the damning evidence needed for Catherine to form her first probing question.

“Steve, did something happen… you know, in a maybe non-platonic way with you and Danny?”

The heat Steve felt on his face had nothing to do with the sun beaming down on them, and Catherine caught the faint hint of a soft smile even as he tried to duck his head and concentrate on his food. “Wow,” she murmured.

“Yeah,” Steve finally pulled his gaze away from the butchered lobster and gave her his attention.

“I mean, there were always the jokes and one or two rumors, but I never actually thought you two would… you know?”

“Yeah, well, a couple of things became a little clearer a few months ago, I guess.” Steve watched her absorb that information.

Catherine hedged a bit before asking the question Steve knew would come if they got on this topic. “Did you know you felt that way when you came to D.C.?”

Translation _– did you know you felt that way when you slept with me_? It wasn’t an unfair question. Steve took a breath before he answered, because after their time in D.C., Catherine deserved answers, if for no other reason than they had a twenty-year history together, not to mention their future was now intertwined, thanks to the little bundle she was carrying. “I don’t think I realized it back then, no. But now that I do know, now that me and Danny have talked…I feel like it’s something I’ve known for a long time, you know… here,” he touched his chest just over his heart, where these days there might as well be a picture of Danny, Grace, and Charlie stamped on every single one of his shirts. “I think maybe I just finally let myself admit it now, after everything.”

Cath nodded her head slowly. “Well,” she breathed out slowly, “I guess there’s nothing else to say but congratulations then, huh?”

“Catherine-“

“No,” Cath shook her head, offering a smile his way, one that Steve knew was hiding the last vestiges of hope in her heart that maybe they could make it work. “I told you back then that it was okay, and it was. It still is. I’m… honestly, I’m not really sure whether to be happy for you or give you my condolences for the life long nagging you’re going to endure.” She laughed, and Steve was relieved to hear that it wasn’t forced, but genuine. He grinned back at her, feeling much lighter now than before when he’d first seen her at the airport.

“Yeah, it must be love then, you know?”

“Yeah,” Catherine leaned back, folding her hands over her burgeoning stomach; Steve zeroed his focus in on it, his fingers sliding towards the picture Cath had given him of the little life growing in her, clutching it once again. For all he and Catherine had been to each other, for the good times between ports and on Oahu, and for all the hurt and pain between them, he could never regret that night. He didn’t before; that night had confirmed for him that things between them were well and truly finished. But it had also produced a child, a chance for Steve to be a father. How could he regret any part of that time spent with her when it was giving him an opportunity he never thought he’d get?

“So, it’s you and him then, hm? For life?”

Steve blinked; was it? He certainly thought so. He’d never felt stronger about anyone else before, and that included the woman sitting across from him. Steve knew he could live without Catherine; he’d had no choice but to do just that years ago. But he also knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he could not live without Danny in his life. He’d survive, sure, but _live_? Enjoy life and all the wonders and amazing experiences it could bring? Actually have a shot at happiness, be truly, utterly content?

Steve knew that couldn’t happen without Danny.

“Yeah,” he finally breathed, smiling at Catherine softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Steve's going to be that kind of father-to-be who freaks out at a sprinkle too much of salt or a dollop too big of mayonnaise. 
> 
> That's gonna be fun to write :D
> 
> And yes, for all my Dutch heritage, it was very difficult fathoming mayonnaise being used as a dip for onion rings, of all things. I am definitely Steve in that moment. /shivers


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise in the notes at the end :D
> 
>  _Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and the characters found within the series are owned by CBS Productions, K/O Paper Products, and 101st Street Productions. No profit is being made off of this work_.

A lot of things had changed in Danny’s life over the past few months, but the view from the lookout at Diamond Head never had. It’d held up pretty solidly over the last decade, that view; from the first time he’d stumbled upon it after getting lost driving around trying to get to a crime scene, to just after his brother had been killed and when he’d found out Charlie was his son – all in the same year – to the many times he’d come up here to sit and stare out over the ocean waves when Steve had been off finding himself. Danny would look out over the horizon at least once a week for over two months, wondering if every plane that flew over head was the one carrying Steve home.

It was only fairly recently that Danny had allowed himself to admit that he was hoping one of those planes was carrying Steve home _to him_. And now it was possible, at least in his own anxiety addled brain, that Hawaiian Airlines or United or Jet Blue might be ferrying Steve away, at least metaphorically speaking.

Maybe literally speaking too.

His fingers clutched and released the gritty, concrete wall he sat on, legs dangling freely over the edge as they had so many times before. Danny wished he could help it, wished he could keep the irrational fear at bay, desperately wished that he could slam the door shut on the little voice inside his head telling him that no matter how Steve felt about him, Danny was nothing compared to the family that Steve could have, the one Catherine was probably offering him right now over beers and shrimp and whatever the hell else they were scooping up from their plates at Tropics.

And really, what kind of man would Danny be if he didn’t tell Steve to go for it? To give it that one last shot? Danny had tackled every opportunity to get back with Rachel like a linebacker zeroed in on the opposing quarterback. The chance for his kids to grow up with both parents in the house, to see what a happy, healthy relationship was like, to not have to split birthdays and holidays and have multiple bedrooms had been the prize, each and every time. Sure, he wound up feeling like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulled the football away when those dreams eventually crumbled, but he could look himself in the mirror at the end of the day and know down to his soul that he’d tried his absolute best for both of his kids to give them the kind of family life he’d had growing up.

How could he tell Steve not to do the same? How could Danny not make that offer? He would be completely selfish if he didn’t, for one, and a cowardly hypocrite to boot – what else would you call someone who’d done the exact same thing multiple times in the past, but would look the other way and not make the same suggestion to someone else with the same opportunity?

But reason number three, and really, this was the rationale that justified Danny’s completely _irrational_ thought process right now, was that that he loved Steve. Danny Williams loved Steve McGarrett with every cell in his body, with every fiber of his being. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Steve, nothing he wouldn’t give him or sacrifice for him, save his children. And Danny knew Steve loved him. The corner of his mouth curved up in a sad, almost defeated smile. Yes, Steve loved Danny, but sometimes Steve didn’t know what was good for him. Hell, sometimes Danny didn’t know what was good for himself, either – again, Rachel – but Danny also knew, as surely as the waves gently lapped against the shore hundreds of feet below him, that Steve would wind up regretting not fighting for the family he’d always wanted. He didn’t shout it from the rooftops, and he didn’t wear it on his sleeve, but Danny knew Steve better than Steve thought he did, and the one thing that had eluded Steve for most of his life, and that Danny knew he wanted desperately, was a stable, solid family.

How could Danny deny him that? Especially when he was the only thing standing in the way of it.

With a wet, resigned cough, Danny worked his numb ass back over the wall and stood, wiping a finger under his nose before digging into his pockets for his keys and heading for the Camaro.

**Hawaii Five-0**

The Silverado was in the drive when Danny pulled in, and as Danny headed up the walk, he could still hear the engine of the truck ticking and cooling down. Steve hadn’t been home long then, and Danny didn’t quite know how to feel about that. The age old ‘is that a good sign or a bad sign’ riddled his thoughts as he opened the door and tossed his keys on the table, his stomach somersaulting a bit as he heard Steve moving around from the kitchen and inched forward, nerves jolting his every step.

Did his meeting up with Catherine go so well that it lasted as long as it did? Was it bad enough to warrant a longer conversation? Was Steve cracking spaghetti noodles into a boiling pot of water because he was hungry or because he was stress – cooking? And Danny sincerely hoped it was the former because he’d tasted the results of the latter, and let’s just say that Steve needed to focus when he chose to put effort into a meal that required more than a microwave or a grill. 

Danny watched Steve reach for another hand full of straight, dry pasta and heard the crack of them breaking before the soft sound of water enveloping pasta flowed along the whisps of steam from the pot; Steve, wooden spoon in hand, pushed the noodles further into the water, submerging all of them. Only two handfuls then, so that must mean Catherine wouldn’t be joining them for dinner. _Or_ , the anxiety laced voice in Danny’s head piped up, _maybe the spaghetti is for Catherine because that’s what she’s craving right now and she actually is coming over_ -

“Danny, hey.”

Danny managed to blink his way out of the internal doom he was devising for himself and cleared his throat. “Yeah, hey, Steve. Hi.”

Steve quirked a brow, spaghetti momentarily forgotten. “Hi. You okay?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Danny inched into the kitchen, his legs feeling as though they were filled with lead, and slid his hands deep into his pockets to grip the fabric within, like that’s where he’d stored his courage to bring up his (ludicrous) offer. “How are you?”

Steve’s curious look deepened into a frown, not unlike the face Eddie got when he couldn’t understand why he was being told ‘no’. “I’m fine, thanks,” he answered, slowly as if he were talking to a drunk person.

“Good, that’s great, that’s… um,” Danny cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. “Look, I gotta say this, I need to say this now, and um… if you just let me talk and finish what I’m saying before you speak, that’d be great.”

“Danny-“

“First, let me just say that if you listen to me, if you decide to do what I’m telling you, to what I’m suggesting for you to do, I will completely understand, okay? I mean, I’m making the offer, I’m the one that’s gonna give you this idea, but if you decide to take me up on it, I will not blame you, okay? I will completely understand.”

“Danny, you’re actually starting to scare me a little bit here, buddy,” Steve rounded the little kitchen island which Danny now noticed was littered with Italian bread and butter, at least until his view was blocked by Steve, his arms folded over his chest. “Usually, I’m the one coming up with the crazy ideas and you’re the one yelling at me for it; what’s changed?”

“You’re having a baby.”

Danny watched as Steve examined his own stomach with interest, poking at it as if he expected something to punch back. Danny huffed. “Okay, not _you_ -you, but you know, you and Catherine, you two are having a kid together, okay, and that’s gonna change things, you understand?” He swallowed the coffee that was threatening to make a reappearance and tugged his hands out of his pockets, holding them up. “You, and Catherine, you’re having a kid, a little baby, and… and kids do best when both parents are in the home – “

Steve, Danny could see, was starting to get the picture now. Danny bull-rushed right past the panic in his partner’s eyes and pressed on. “They do best when they’re raised by both parents, in the same home, when Mom and Dad are together, right? I mean, I got lucky with Grace and Charlie, but my kids are sane, okay, they have normal DNA flowing through their veins. But your kid? You got you, Captain America and Wonder Woman having a kid together, and honestly, both of you will have to be together as much as possible to cancel out all the superhero powers any offspring of yours is gonna have – “

“Danny-“

“And take it from me, Steve, I know, okay, _I know_ , I am painfully aware of what a kid goes through when both parents don’t live together. Gracie always asking me why me and her Mom couldn’t fix our issues, why we didn’t like each other anymore – ‘

“Okay, Danny – ?”

“It’s the worst thing in the world to watch your kid not have a family like all the other kids in their class, okay? To hear them come home and tell you that some little asshole named Tommy keeps making fun of you when you forget your homework at Dad’s apartment when Mom brought you to school that day. So please, Steve, please, _please_ think about this, okay? I would be a selfish bastard not to tell you that the absolute best thing you can do for that little boy or girl is to give things with Catherine another shot, and if you do…” Danny felt himself losing steam, felt his eyes stinging too, and he closed them, rubbing his face to hide the utter defeat threatening to spill there. “If you do, I won’t blame you, Steve, okay? I’ll understand.”

The only sound in the sunlight bathed kitchen was the bubbling from the water boiling on the stove. Danny slid his hands down his face and opened his eyes enough to see the look on Steve’s face, a look which was stone blank, the kind of look Steve got when he was trying to hide whatever pain or anger he was feeling at the moment. Danny was well acquainted with that look, had seen it far too often, but he’d never been the cause of it before now.

“Danny, I’m gonna ask you a question.” 

Danny’s ears recognized that tone – and yes, despite what everyone said, Steve did have some particular hues to his voice that could be distinguished, one from the other. This particular tenor was the one Steve would get when he was close to the last nerve being plucked by a singularly difficult perp. So, Danny swallowed, and nodded once, flapping a hand at Steve, a clear indication to ask away.

“When we went to Kailua, and we had that long talk the last night we were there, and we decided we wanted to give this a try; did you mean it, or were you just blowing smoke?”

The tight feeling that had taken up residence in Danny’s chest began to smolder, indignation and anger taking the place of his anxiety, at least for the moment. “Excuse me?” His voice was damn near as lethal as the bullets in his service weapon.

“You heard me,” Steve snapped, just as quietly furious. “Because that’s the only thing I can think of that would make you suggest something so stupid as for me to get back together with Catherine!”

“Did you not just hear all the reasons I gave for you to at least _consider_ it?!” Danny exploded, hands waving around his head; Steve ducked back out of the way to avoid an accidental yet no less painful backhand. “You think I woke up today wanting to come down here and talk to you about this? I just got you _back_ , Steven, okay, I just _got_ you, and I just got you _back_ , but the reality is that you have a kid on the way, alright? And the best thing for any kid is to have both parents raise them in a stable home. So, excuse me for giving a damn about you and your kid, but this is what you do when you love someone!”

Danny deflated and sagged against the entry way, and because he really didn’t want inadvertently bean Steve in the head, he stuffed his hands back into his pockets; his knuckles cracked, sounding more like a lightning strike with he tension crackling between him and Steve. Danny looked up at Steve regretfully. God, he loved him.

“This is what you do,” he repeated, miserably, looking at him. “You do what you think is best for the person you love, you make sure they understand all the options in front of them, and… and you give them the best advice you can.” His voice was paper thin, shredded as he looked at Steve. “I can’t be selfish here, Steve. Not when you’re gonna be a father, not when you have to think of what’s best for your kid.”

Steve, who looked completely dumbfounded, who was staring at Danny as if Danny had just finished telling him that he’d been visited by aliens from out of space, and not offered to break up with him because it would be better for him or his kids or something. Honestly, as Danny thought about it, he couldn’t really decide which of the two was more bizarre; probably the alien one, but only because, well… aliens. 

“You are… really, for the smartest guy I’ve ever met, you are being enormously stupid,” Steve practically whispered, shaking his head. Danny opened his mouth; Steve lifted a finger.

Danny closed his mouth.

“I’m not leaving you, Danny,” Steve assured him. “I’m – Jesus Christ, Danny. You think the best thing for me, for Catherine, for our kid is for me and Cath to get back together?”

Danny shrugged, remaining quiet, though now that his brain wasn’t racing on adrenaline, it did sound kind of weird…now that he thought about it.

“You’re right about one thing – a kid deserves parents in the house, parents who love them, and will protect them. Ideally, I guess you would have both the mom and the dad raising the kid, but sometimes that’s not possible, as you,” he pointed at Danny, “well know.”

Danny cleared his throat; true.

“One of the things I learned after I came back to the island ten years ago was that family doesn’t come in a pretty, pre-packaged, _Leave it to Beaver_ box,” Steve said. Danny hated the dejection laced in every syllable that left his mouth. 

“I spent so many years wishing I could have the family I had before Mom faked her death, before my parents were killed, but eventually I had to admit to myself that the family I thought I had never existed. I had to make a new family, Danny, and I did, and you were – are – a huge part of that, you and your kids. Everybody else, too, but… I think you taught me how to have a family again, Danny. You let me be a part of your life, and a part of the kids’ lives, and… Danny, if someone ever asked me who I thought the best father in the whole world was, it’d be you.”

Danny felt warm all over, felt his heart swell as he tucked his chin against his chest for a few moments to collect himself. He figured out after a few seconds that the warmth was helped in part because Steve had shuffled forward to wrap his arms around him.

“Me and Catherine are through, Danny,” Steve’s voice was soft, and Danny allowed himself to be lulled by it, eased by it, felt the fear ease off and the flood of embarrassment for ever having questioned Steve's resolve wash up his face, red and hot and loud in his ears. 

“I’m not going to leave you for her. And the best thing for my kid is for him to be in a stable environment, and there’s nothing less stable in this entire world than me and Catherine together, okay?”

Danny nodded slowly until his neck stuttered to a stop, angled up towards Steve and eyebrows raised. "'Him'?"

"Yeah, Danno, 'him'," Steve laughed, gentle, delighted, terrified. "At least we think; we won't know for sure for a few more weeks, but yeah. And I wanted to talk to you about that, before you came in here and scared the hell out of me.”

Danny swallowed, calm now, breathing slow and even, smelling the burned-pasta scent of spa-

“Uh, Steve,” Danny flapped a hand off Steve’s left shoulder. “Were you looking to make that pasta well done?”

Steve’s face went from tenderly earnest to adorably ruffled confusion to what Danny had dubbed as Steve’s ‘oh shit’ face in under three seconds, and with good reason, because as Danny had been spilling his unique brand of irrationality all over the place, and while Steve had been trying to clean that unnecessary mess up, the pot of water on the stove had begun to boil over, creating another, much larger, less metaphorical problem. Steve flung himself towards the stove top, hastily grabbing a pair of oven mitts, – dropping one in the process that made Steve curse and Danny grin stupidly for whatever reason – and dragging the now bubbling and overflowing pot off the top and spilling the boiling contents into the colander in the sink. A cloud of stifling hot steam engulfed Steve’s arms and Danny rushed forward, yelling at Steve to drop the pot and back away, but he could already hear the painful woosh of air hissing through Steve’s teeth, though Danny was also grateful to hear the clattering of aluminum against the sink lining, a sign that Steve wasn’t willing to risk his flesh for burned spaghetti.

“You’re a goof, you know that?” Danny hastily waved the steam away before switching the faucet on, tugging Steve’s assaulted arm underneath the cool water and holding it steadily. Steve’s forearm was an angry patch of red, but it didn’t look too bad.

“Yeah, I’m the goof, huh. Which one of us came home thinking I was gonna leave you for my ex-girlfriend?” Steve grumbled, mulish. “Here I am, making us a nice dinner, thinking I’m gonna be able to talk to you about all this, how we’re gonna raise my kid, how it’s all going to work, and you actually think I’m planning on leaving you. And you call _me_ crazy.”

Danny wasn’t sure if the sound of rushing liquid in his ears was the water pouring from the faucet or his blood racing as he felt his pulse shoot up. “Raise your kid?” He caught Steve looking at him, again, as if he were literally dropping braincells into the sink.

“Yes, Danny,” Steve shook his head, complete wonder blanketing his face, like he couldn’t believe Danny could even question him on that. “Look at what you’re doing now, what your first instinct was. I don’t know why you’re still holding my arm – I’m perfectly capable of leaving it under the water myself –“

“Capable yes; willing no,” Danny interrupted without missing a beat.

“You are the best father I know,” Steve announced, quietly. “Honestly, Danny; I can’t think of anyone who’s a better example of what being a real dad to his kids is. I don’t know how to do any of this. I… I’m honestly afraid of what kind of dad I’d be to my kid.”

“The best,” Danny reassured him, even as Steve flickered a dubious gaze his way. “I’ve got no doubt about that.”

“You don’t, huh,” Steve turned his arm a bit, letting the water flow over the rest of the burned skin. “Why is that?”

“Because,” Danny reached for a kitchen towel while holding Steve’s arm with his other hand, “this conversation we’re having right now proves you want to be a good father, Steve. You’re worried about it, you’re nervous about it, you’re doubting yourself; that’s all normal. You’re looking for ways to be better, to be the best dad you can be to your son, you’re looking for help… I mean, you might be putting me on a pedestal a little bit –“

“I’m not,” Steve swore, looking at him. “If parenting were an Olympic sport, you’d win the gold each time, Danny.”

Danny swallowed and tugged Steve’s arm towards him, dabbing at the water until the skin was mostly dry and he could see the steam burn clearly. Steve watched him silently for a few seconds. “Think I’ll keep my arm?” He asked, his voice rough, like mountain gravel.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll have to take it this time,” Danny answered, his own throat tight. He felt Steve’s arm wrap around his back and pull him forward. “You really want me to be Step-Danno?”

“We’re definitely going to have to figure out a different nick-name,” Steve laughed. “That just doesn’t have the same ring to it as Step-Stan or Step-Steve. But yeah, Danny. I can’t imagine raising this kid – any kid – and not have you right beside me. That is, if you want to be,” he finished quietly.

Danny looked up at Steve, eyes blinking fast. He was in his lower forties. He’d raised two kids already. And he’d loved every second of it, wouldn’t trade his experiences with Gracie and Charlie for the world, including that time when Grace locked herself in his old beat-up sedan back in Jersey and very nearly cracked the glass windows in the car from how loud she’d been shrieking. But another little baby? A miniature version of Steve? A kid who wouldn’t be hitting 18 until Danny was in his sixties?

Danny’s mind swung back to the ‘miniature version of Steve’ and, well. That settled that.

“Can’t let you unleash a mini-you on the world without supervision, can I?” Danny quipped.

“You really can’t,” Steve tugged Danny towards him in a fierce hug, tension disappearing and replaced by stark relief that Danny could feel wrapped tightly around him.

“Sorry about all that, you know, before,” Danny said, muffled against Steve’s shirt. “And about dinner.”

Steve tightened his grip, ignoring the rough sting of his steam burn. It was righteously earned in his opinion, if it meant that Danny was still here in his arms and going on stark raving mad about leaving him because of whatever nonsense his pessimistic brain had tried to come up with.

“Order us a pizza and you’re forgiven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we all know that Danny has a problem keeping the happy and staying optimistic, so it seemed appropriate for his anxiety to drive the bus for a little while.
> 
> Sorry :D
> 
> BUT! To make it up to you, there will be a fifth chapter, since the story doesn't feel finished quite yet.
> 
> Surprise!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and the characters found within the series are owned by CBS Productions, K/O Paper Products, and 101st Street Productions. No profit is being made off of this work_.

Catherine’s cravings dictated most of her meals, and today’s craving-of-the-day just happened to be shrimp, so the Steve and Danny swung by the Hilton to pick her up before heading to an old haunt nearby. Like a platoon, they invaded Kamekona’s shrimp truck spot, and the rest of the team showed up one by one, eventually taking up post at two picnic tables and creating a mini rush as they ordered what seemed like half of Kame’s shrimp stock for the day.

“Lil’ sistah, it’s good to see you again,” Kamekona set down Catherine’s shrimp plate. “Looks like you eating for two, eh? Who’s the lucky kāne?”

“Oh, um,” Catherine cleared her throat, throwing a look of ‘help me!’ Steve’s way, because this little gathering was not only so that Catherine could catch up with Five-0, but to also share the good news that the proverbial stork would be dropping by a new, miniature team-member in about six or seven months. “Well-“

“Hey, let’s let everyone get their food and eat first,” Steve swooped in with a save and if Kamekona or anyone else found that weird, they didn’t say anything.

“Wow, I’ve missed this,” Catherine swooned and sank onto the bench as she took the first bite of shrimp, the garlic and butter melting in her mouth. “Kame, there’s nothing like this in D.C.”

“Been thinking about expanding recently,” Kame shared while everyone else ate. “Got the tour business, the restaurant, the shrimp truck. The shave ice, too. Margins are good. Been thinking about opening up shop on Maui.”

“That’s still a little bit of a hike away from D.C., buddy,” Danny couldn’t help but point out, but as always, Kamekona was hardly put off.

“Expansion take’s time, energy, planning, focus, brah,” Kamekona’s angling for the next business opportunity was everything Catherine had missed about him, that and his shrimp, which she was eating at a clip that would rival mass eating contest participants. She felt a nudge against her arm and looked over at Steve, whose face was spasming in an SOS of ‘slow down’ and ‘please don’t choke’ with a touch of ‘I honestly can’t remember how to do the Heimlich on a pregnant woman, or even if I should’. She’d only been back a couple of days and Steve was making it very clear that even though they weren’t together anymore, he was going to look after when and where he could.

If that meant impeding her shrimp-capade, then so be it.

Surprisingly, it was Lou who came to her rescue, who was sitting across from her and had a front row seat to the shrimp-block that was Steve McGarrett. “You know what Renee used to do when she got tired of me and the over-bearing routine?”

Cath shook her head. “What?”

“Smack me upside my head,” Lou gave Steve a pointed look, who glowered at him in return. “It worked.”

“He’s an animal, too, Cath, you could always just use the positive reinforcement plan or use a rolled up news paper,” Danny suggested, sitting on the other side of Steve. “Works on dogs.”

“Oh yeah? It works on dogs?” Steve sniffed. “Then why doesn’t it work on Eddie when you try to bribe him for the couch?”

“Because you allow bad canine habits in your home, that’s why,” Danny shook a fried shrimp at Steve, and absolutely no one was shocked as a fresh round of bickering that ensued between the two.

Adam leaned against the picnic table opposite the group, watching Steve and Danny go back and forth with each other, completely oblivious to anyone else. “Can’t lie and say that you haven’t missed this,” he grinned down at her, and no Catherine couldn’t have denied it if she tried.

“Hey, Junes,” Tani smacked Junior lightly on the arm. “Next round of beers on you if Danny doesn’t start with the hand chive in the next thirty seconds?”

“You’re on,” Junior set his watch, ticking down the seconds. On second twenty-three, Danny’s hands were flying about, Tani lost the bet, and Quinn, Lincoln, and Adam were thanking her for their next round. Kamekona was bringing more beers, and Catherine was nudging Steve with a pointy, insistent elbow since he and Danny showed absolutely no signs of breaking from their argument. Steve winced, but took the hint.

“Okay, alright guys, so we’re actually not just here to catch up. I mean, we are, but that’s not the only reason.”

“Smooth segway, babe,” Danny smirked.

“Would you like to do this? Huh?” Steve’s nose flared, and Danny would never not find that cute.

“I’m just saying, you kind of repeated yourself with your little announcement there, using the word ‘just’ the way you did,” Danny shrugged. 

“ _Not_ that we don’t all find this entertaining, boys, but can we put a pin in this, please?” Catherine tagged Steve and Danny (but mostly Steve) with a look that stopped the second round of fighting in its tracks, and had the added benefit of getting Steve to stand up, which struck most everyone there as strange because was he giving a speech? Tani actually asked, partly out of genuine curiosity, mostly to be a smart ass.

“Not a speech, really, just a – okay,” Steve stopped himself before got on a tangent, rubbing his hands for luck and sanity, because he needed both right now, truly. “So uh, for those of you who don’t know, this is Catherine Rollins.” He looked down at her, pausing for a moment. “Say hello, Cath.”

“Hello, Cath,” she mimicked perfectly, smiling sweetly up at him as she sipped her water.

Steve should’ve expected that, truly. “Cath and I served together in Navy Intelligence and we, uh, dated, off and on for a few years-“

Quinn raised her hand. “Since I’m the only one here who’s never met her, you can just skip to the good part, if you want – nice to meet you, by the way,” she waved at Catherine from her corner of the table. “I’m Quinn.”

“Nice to meet you,” Catherine returned smoothly, offering a wave.

“So, anyway,” Steve cleared his throat, “uh, Cath is pregnant, as you can tell. Obviously.”

“Not that obviously,” Catherine muttered, glaring at him; she wasn’t that big yet.

“And, um… and I’m the father,” Steve finished, looking around.

The ocean just yards away were decidedly louder when no one was talking, Catherine realized as she looked around, taking in the stunned looks and shocked silence from the team.

“Wow,” Tani broke first. “So…”

“So, there’s gonna be a little McGarrett running around here sometime next year,” Danny’s mouth was somewhere between a grin and a wince. “Which means everybody should stock up on your body armor.”

“Congratulations, Commander,” Junior stood up first, offering his hand to Steve who shook it firmly, almost relieved that the moment had been broken. Adam was right behind Junior, then Lincoln. Lou walked around from where he had been sitting and clapped a heavy hand on Steve’s shoulder while Catherine fielded well wishes from the rest of the team. 

“Welcome my friend to the show that never ends.”

“Thanks, man,” Steve felt equal parts thrilled and terrified; he had a feeling that duality wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“So, wait; are you two back together then?” Quinn looked at Catherine, but her gaze migrated to settle on Steve.

“Oh, um…no?” Catherine offered a nervous smile. “No, uh. See, Steve and I are great at being friends, but…”

“We just didn’t work out,” Steve cut in, saving Cath and himself from going down that rabbit hole. They had a twenty plus year history together. Maybe there’d been some times that were better than others, but there was no point in regurgitating the bad at this point.

“Right,” Cath cleared her throat, happy to follow Steve’s lead. “And besides, Steve is already very happily taken.”

It took approximately three seconds for Catherine to realize that the reason she was hearing the waves again was because the group had fallen silent once more; Steve was idly scratching his chin, admiring the wood of the picnic table in front of him, and Danny was rather graciously giving all of his attention to Steve, eyes squinting perhaps not so much due to the sun, but more likely because he expected Steve to have an answer ready to go. Catherine grabbed for her water and took a long sip, buying herself some time.

Oops.

“Boss, you’re seeing someone?” Tani asked.

“Are you dating Brooke again?” Adam guessed.

“Or Emma? Eddie has that appointment with her next week,” Junior pointed out.

Steve coughed, looking down at Cath. “You know for a CIA agent, you’ve got a big mouth.”

She bit her lip and offered him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“Alright, come on, don’t keep us in suspense,” Lou prodded. “who’s the po- I mean, lucky girl?”

“Uh, that would be me,” Danny raised his hand the same way a kid in class would who didn’t want to get called on but knew he would eventually anyway. Every eye landed on him, and the sound of a heavy item hitting the table may have been a beer bottle or someone’s jaw. He looked up at Steve and almost stopped breathing, because Steve had such a tender and fond expression on his face, and it was one hundred percent aimed at him; Danny took a breath. “Guess the jokes aren’t really jokes anymore, huh.”

Quinn cleared her throat, a slow grin spreading across her face. “I would just like to say number one, congratulations-“

“Thank you,” Steve folded his arms over his chest, worrying his bottom lip. “What’s number two?”

“Number two is I saw this coming ten miles away, and it’s about time.” She held her beer up high and tilted it towards Steve and Danny. “Cheers.”

“Okay, hang on a second,” Lou pinned the new couple with a gaze that was more fit for Five-0’s rendition room than an ocean side shrimp truck. “How long has this been going on? And how did you,” he looked at Junior, “not know about it when you live with the guy?”

Junior bit his lip and offered the only reasonable explanation he could. “I was at Tani’s a lot?”

“That’s right, blame it on the woman,” Tani sighed forlornly.

“Oh, she went there on ya,” Lincoln chuckled and took a sip of his beer. Junior found no help with Adam either, who only put up his hands, like he was deflecting Junior’s puppy eyes begging for assistance or some kind of defense.

“Just save yourself the trouble and take her out to dinner tonight, man,” Adam advised.

“No, but seriously, how long have you two been… you know?” Quinn asked, eyes darting between Steve and Danny.

“Dating?” Danny supplied. “Uh…. What a month? Six weeks?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Steve scratched his chin. “Since we came back from Kailua. And do we have to use the word ‘dating’?” 

“What do you want me to call it?” Danny blinked.

“I dunno… ‘dating’, it makes it sound like we’re in high school or college or something.”

“Not to mention, you two have pretty much been married already for about a decade, so dating would actually be going backwards in your case,” Catherine pipped up. Steve looked down at her, indignant.

“Really?”

She shrugged, completely unrepentant, and sipped at her water. “I’m just saying.”

“What, what are you saying, exactly?”

“That she agrees with me that saying that we’re dating is dumb,” Danny held out a hand and Catherine enthusiastically high fived it. Steve watched, suitably scandalized.

“Hey, you’re my guy, Danno; you’re supposed to be on my side, huh? What is this?”

“Okay, alright, we’re not gonna have all this arguing, not right now. Ya’ll can do your foreplay later.” Lou stood up, picking up his beer and holding it out to them. “To Steve and Danny – congratulations on getting finally getting your shit together. And to Catherine – for the little bundle of joy all _three_ of you have on the way.”

Cath lifted her water glass, happy. “Thanks, guys.”

“La famiglia,” Danny offered his own beer just as Steve settled an arm over his shoulders, holding out a Longboard to clink between Danny’s bottle and Cath’s glass.

“To Ohana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left comments, especially to those who said that they normally don’t go for the ‘Steve & Cath having a kid’ fics, or even the ‘pregnancy/Steve’s getting a baby’ fics. We all do it; we read a summary and decide whether or not that story is for us, and lots of us have our own no-gos, where we just don’t like certain tropes. So, to the people who read the story anyway and enjoyed it, that’s such a high compliment for me, and I really, really appreciate it!
> 
> Also, I know one reader is as big a fan of The West Wing as I am, so yes, the ‘Welcome my friend to the show that never ends’ is a direct reference to TWW :D I couldn’t resist.
> 
> We’ll probably have some one shots from here on out. This series is coming along nicely, and I’m pretty happy with how it’s turning out.

**Author's Note:**

> Remember - trust me!


End file.
